Lowest Diabetic Foot Amputation Rates in the World

Thanks in large part to Prof. Dean Williams, who is both Head of the School of Medical Sciences at Bangor University and a leading surgeon at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor is leading the way in diabetic foot care with the lowest amputation figures in the world. In 2014 there were no amputations at the hospital in Bangor, even though it’s a known risk for people with diabetic foot disease, and the commonest cause for their hospital admission. The importance of this for those affected can’t be exaggerated and the BBC News Website features one patient whose story is typical of the positive outcomes being achieved.

Professor William’s has written a number of highly cited research papers on the topic, the unit has been cited first for provision of service by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and a surgeon from the noted DeBakey Institute in Texas is due to visit next year.

Professor Williams said “In terms of published data, as far as we know, we have the lowest major amputation figures for diabetic and non-diabetic patients in the world and I put that down to the very close integration between the nursing and medical staff. It shows a small, dedicated team with specialists can have a bigger impact than these much larger units. We’re on the map now internationally, because we’re consistently achieving world class outcomes for our patients.”

Publication date: 16 September 2016